Use an electric potters wheel instead rod the lazy Susan. Use a laser pointer hung over the wheel to finger the center point. Trace the outline of the watch case onto the paper and use a compass or such to mark the center point. Then put the case on the traces outline. For the satin finish, I use the grey scotch brite which is a fine satin finish. When the potters wheel starts, place the scorch brite on one spot and don’t move your hand. Let the wheel turn to give the even circular brushing. When done, give the circular brushing a wipe with capecod polish cloth. It won’t remove the satin finish. It will give it a luster. For the deep scratch, use a buff stick from Bergeom or 1000 grit sandpaper. Don’t be afraid to get it out. Hope that is helpful.
Those are all creative solutions! I just did another stainless steel watch case project and I used the gray Scotch-Brite with very good results. I've also been getting more aggressive about removing deeper scratches, but trying not to damage the sharpness of the body lines. It is a delicate balance! Thanks for watching and joining the conversation!
@@WatchWithMike you are welcome. Together we are stronger 💪🏼 For deeper scratches, you can use a simple but effective burnishing tool. It’s smooth and hard and you rub it over the scratch. It will “smoothen” out the scratch and won’t remove material. You then will have an easier time with the polishing to remove it completely. Google burnishing tool. Dentist also use it for dentures and such. In fact, look at dental tools. Much cheaper than watch tools and often serve the same function.
Very nicely done! I like also how creative you are with both tools and techniques (e.g. lazy Susan, watch baskets on a stick). I am learning things here I haven’t seen on any other RU-vid channel. Keep up the great work!
Very nice, meticulous work, Mike! I greatly enjoyed watching your process (with mathematical narration!) and look forward to attempting a similar project. I was wondering if a low speed dremel with the proper tip insert could be used in place of the manually rotated lazy susan, to complete the detail work on the brushed finished areas. Any thoughts?
Thanks Michael! Are you suggesting using a Dremel tool to rotate the case, or to apply the scratches? The thing I liked about my method is that you can go very slowly and see your progress clearly. I have done a couple of other brushed finishes since doing this case, and brushing by hand with the Scotch-Brite pads moves pretty quickly, so power tools really aren't required.
Actually, what I was wondering was if a low speed, handheld dremel tool, with a brushing tip could be used to go over the brushed stainless surfaces (while holding the watch case with the other hand). I am presuming that the meticulous masking of the polished surfaces would be done first, as per your video.@@WatchWithMike
Stainless steel is very resilient, and I only used a soft buff. I always try to do one plane at a time, and you should be fine as long as you don't hurry and roll over the edges. With softer metals it becomes more of a risk, but I use less aggressive compound and extra care.
You could sit there and slowly clip the strands from the polishing wheel. Or you could simply turn it on and hold the blade close to the wheel and let it cut the strands for you.
Very interesting video. Well presented and explained. There is one question please. What type of polishing wheels are used for the black first cut and then the green polishing cut? Do I need a hard one for black and a soft one for green? Would very much appreciate your advice. Many thanks.
Great question! I used soft cotton wheels for both cuts, but I should have used a harder wheel with the black polish if I wanted it to go quicker. I'm still getting used to the buffer, so I didn't want to get too aggressive. I have another stainless steel case project I am doing this weekend, and I'm going to try out the black compound on a harder felt wheel.
@@WatchWithMike no need to mask the brushed areas. Polish the areas to be polished. The brushed areas will not get “un-brushed” if you accidentally let polish on to it or your hand slips.
@Pratik Waingankar - I only polished the bezel lightly because I didn't want to damage the printing. The bezel on this watch was not brushed. All of the photos I've seen of the Casio MD501 have more of a matte finish, which is half way between polished and brushed. I would suggest just giving your bezel a (gentle) cleaning and light buffing, because you don't want to remove the numbers.
Hi.. thanks for the info.. I got confused between my 1969 Seiko 5 6119 and the md501 the Seiko has a decorative bevel so I wa thinking I will keep that bevel and the crystal ring gloss and the other surfaces matt.. your videos really help.. watching your Timex teardown atm cause I have one on with the second hand has fallen off
Polishing is fine when done well, bonus points if they use laser welding, unless you have a very valuable and hard to find vintage watch where anything done to it would lower its value there’s nothing wrong with polishing regular watches.
